


All I Need Is You (You’re All I Need To Breathe)

by wistfullywishing



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Again, Alternate Universe, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Holding Hands, Jongdae treasures his couch, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Romance, Roommates, Sharing a Bed, Thunderstorms, baekhyun is a dirty thief, baekhyun snores, i need to stop using couches in my fics, its really just a bunch of fluff, jongdae takes care of baekhyun because he's a good roommate and also because they're in love, jongdae wears dinosaur printed pajama pants to sleep, rated T only because Jongdae has 19+ thoughts in his head, they just gotta figure it out first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11595057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wistfullywishing/pseuds/wistfullywishing
Summary: Baekhyun is afraid of thunderstorms. Jongdae helps him get through it.Featuring lots of rain, snuggles, and dinosaur-printed pajama pants.





	All I Need Is You (You’re All I Need To Breathe)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a surprise gift for my beta! I'm possibly a little bit late (even though I tried messing with my time settings, lol) but today is officially the one year anniversary of when we started writing fic and thus is super important because we've come a long way and improved and laughed and cried and screamed and supported each other and that means the world to me.  
> @ beta, I could not have gotten through the past year without you, not just in writing endeavors but also in life and I'm so so infinitely thankful that you've been here through everything. YOU ARE WHAT INSPIRES ME TO CONTINUE WHEN I LOSE MOTIVATION TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT WALLOW IN BED. and slguhlsdhgsdf im bad with words but just know i love you very very much so this fic is a tribute to one of yours (you'll see) (it's the one im still waiting on a conclusion for lmao) AM NERVOUS TO BE POSTING THIS TO THE INTERNET WITHOUT YOUR APPROVAL BUT HERE GOES ANYWAY
> 
> @ everyone in general: thank you so so much for all the kind comments on my last baekchen fic & you guys are the other reason why I occassionally write stuff <3
> 
> tl;dr: thank you to everyone for being supportive basically and helping me feel accomplished as a writer i'm so grateful 
> 
> (also this is unbeta'ed so if anyone catches mistakes pls feel free to point them out :))

Baekhyun lifts the edge of the curtain at the large window in the living room and presses his nose up against the glass windowpane, peering outside into the storm. An hour ago the sky had been a light, pale shade of blue with a thin layer of gray clouds. Closer to the ground, below the flat wisps of white, the heavens were a deep shade of sapphire, disturbed by the occasional flash as lightning burst through the sky, illuminating the surrounding atmosphere to a tone of pink reminiscent of the sunset, as though an artist had tipped over a jar of dirty water used for rinsing brushes and brushed it over their painting. That was an hour ago.

Now, all he can see is a furious gray. The earlier separation between the layers of sky and cloud are gone, replaced with one thick sheet of billowing, gloomy fog. The clouds are no longer delicate masses of glassy blue but rather angry, hulking bodies, waiting for their chance to converge on the oblivious Earth below. In the distance, a flash of light turns the air completely, blindingly white for less than a second and Baekhyun flinches back from the window, knees scrambling for purchase on the couch, recoiling as if struck. 

The fact is: Baekhyun is deathly scared of thunderstorms. To him, they are absolutely terrifying, especially the intense ones that shake the world up and down and invoke fears of destruction and chaos.

The other fact is: His roommate, Jongdae, would tease him mercilessly for a lifetime if he found out, not because he’s trying to be mean but just because he’s Jongdae. He can already hear the other’s boisterous laughter.  _ No way! Our Baekhyun is a scaredy-cat, afraid of loud noises and light? _

Baekhyun grits his teeth at the mere thought and squares his shoulders. He will not let nature get the best of him. Briefly, he considers that it may not have been the smartest idea to laugh at Jongdae’s dinosaur printed pajama pants, but in his defense, it was either laugh at how ridiculous they were or  _ kiss him because of how cute he looked in them _ . 

So Baekhyun sulks at his poor decision-making skills and slinks soundlessly into his bedroom, pausing on the way there to grab a soft shirt from the laundry pile. He climbs into his bed, burying himself in the sheets and pulling a pillow over his head to block out the noise of the incessant pouring outside.

Soon, he falls into a dreamless sleep. The quiet doesn’t last for long.

\---

Jongdae is having a rather delightful dream about creating the world’s best cheeseburger from the most high-quality ingredients that money can buy, and then eating the entire thing all by himself - one orgasmic bite at a time - when a rumble of thunder accompanied by a loud shriek jolts him out of sleep. Sooner than his consciousness can fully catch up to his sight, a shadow is darting into his room. 

Before his mind can decide on the best course of action to defend himself from what his sleep-addled brain deems is likely a burglar, dainty hands are gripping his side and roughly shoving him over on the bed, pushing with so much force that Jongdae tumbles out on the other side of the twin-sized mattress and lands hard on the floor, his bare back hitting the carpet ground. He’s just thanking his lucky stars that the floor happens to  _ not  _ be covered with the wood flooring his roommate had wanted when there’s a crack of thunder and the shadow in Jongdae’s bed lets out a whimper.

_ Huh _ . Not a burglar, then.

When he pushes himself up to a sitting position and flicks on the lamp located on his bedside table, he’s met with a wide-eyed stare from the boy kneeling on his blankets, wearing sweatpants and the shirt that went missing from Jongdae’s clean stack of laundry roughly around the same time that his roommate snuck off to sleep. Jongdae has to rub his bleary eyes - several times - to make sure he’s not seeing things.

After it’s been established that  _ no _ , he is not imagining Baekhyun in his bed (though not in the way he would’ve liked), the first thing Jongdae can think to do is frown and ask why the hell Baekhyun stole the t-shirt he normally wears to sleep. 

Baekhyun looks bewildered, as if he’s not sure what Jongdae is accusing him of, and when the words sink in Baekhyun looks at Jongdae’s bare chest - as if noticing for the first time that Jongdae is only wearing the dinosaur pajama bottoms - and then down at his own chest. Then Baekhyun frowns, making a crease in his brow, as though someone has played a trick on him and dressed him in Jongdae’s clothes. “I don’t know,” he mumbles under his breath, so softly that Jongdae has to strain to hear him over the sloshes of the harsh downpour outside. “I guess it was comforting because it smelled like you?”

_ What.  _ Jongdae blinks, at a loss for words. This is definitely the weirdest conversation that they have ever had, and he still doesn’t know what’s going on, but frankly, Jongdae can’t draw up the strength to care right at this moment because he would really like to go back to sleep. So he can finish his dream about the cheeseburger. 

“Right,” he says, getting up off the floor and dusting himself off. When he goes to gently pull Baekhyun off his bed, he’s met with slight resistance. “Okay, well, I don’t mind if you wear it for tonight. Now-”

He doesn’t get to finish because thunder booms again, shaking what seems like the whole apartment and Baekhyun’s hand tightens around his forearm instantly, his body tugging back on Jongdae and refusing to be budged from the center of the bed.

_ Oh _ . That explains the weird behavior. Baekhyun is clearly scared of thunderstorms. 

Under normal circumstances, the learning of this fact might warrant some teasing because Baekhyun is the most fearless person he knows on campus, willing to perform all sorts of crazy antics to get what he wants - whether it’s challenging professors or walking out of their classes or sleeping with teaching assistants for the right price. Of all the things in the world that Baekhyun could choose to be scared of, a thunderstorm seems rather anticlimactic. 

Jongdae has to take back and reword his thoughts when he gets a proper glance at Baekhyun’s face in the dim lighting. No, Baekhyun definitely didn’t choose to be scared of the thunder; in any case, he looks like a wild animal caught in a trap, frightened eyes darting around the room as if looking for a way out of the rather precarious scenario he’s gotten himself into. He can see the war raging in his roommate’s mind plain on his face, the logical side of Baekhyun that knows realistically he shouldn’t be afraid of the weather outside because he’s  _ inside  _ versus the emotional side of him that can’t help or understand his fear. Jongdae can see that the only thing Baekhyun knows for sure - more than he’s certain of any other fact in this instant - is that he doesn’t want to coexist with the sounds of nature battling outside. It’s the expression pasted on Baekhyun’s features that makes Jongdae’s taunts freeze on the tip of his tongue and his eyes soften towards his roommate as a smile edges onto his lips, but for a different reason.

“Baekhyun,” he says softly. “There’s no reason to be afraid. It’s just some heavy water. It can’t hurt you.” 

Baekhyun looks at him, drinking in his words; he can see the other boy forcing himself to believe them as his grip on Jongdae’s arm loosens and he allows himself to be helped off the bed and to his feet. “It was so scary,” he whispers, his voice shaking. Jongdae feels so  _ bad;  _ he wishes there was more he could do _. _

“If it helps, you can sleep with the lights on so that the flashes of lightning outside aren’t as noticeable,” he tries.

Baekhyun nods, and Jongdae leads him gently back to his room, which is separated from his own by just a bathroom, all the while keeping one arm around Baekhyun’s waist. Baekhyun’s grip - which has migrated to the edge of his pants - is so tight that Jongdae worries about him tripping and falling and taking down the pants with him. Which might normally be a welcome action, but in this particular situation would only feel rather awkward. 

He lets out a silent sigh of relief when he finally pushes Baekhyun down onto his own bed and waits for him to lay down before drawing the covers up around his body. The entire time, Baekhyun stares at him with eyes that display a mixture of shock, apprehension, desperation, fear, and maybe the tiniest bit of respect and appreciation. As soon as he makes sure that Baekhyun is comfortable, Jongdae switches on the lamp by Baekhyun’s bed, then murmurs a quiet “Goodnight” and retreats through the bathroom to his own room. The rain outside seems like it’s stopping.

Jongdae lays back down on his despairingly tiny mattress, settles comfortably into the pillows, and closes his eyes so he can fall back asleep and continue with his burger-building. The beginnings of slumber are taking over him when all of a sudden there is an unexpected clap of thunder, booming so loudly that Jongdae is startled into a sitting position, eyes flying open and fully awake in an instant. He can’t help but feel that the crash that the thunder makes can’t be much different from the sound of the entire earth splitting in two.  _ So much for the rain stopping. _

Outside the apartment, the world cracks apart and inside, the accompanying strike of lightning lights his entire room up in a show of brilliant radiance. Even Jongdae, someone who isn’t afraid of storms, is paralyzed for a moment as his heart struggles to slow back down to its normal tempo after being caught off guard. The echo of thunder hasn’t even had the time to completely rumble off into silence before Baekhyun is running back into his room, legs moving faster than Jongdae has ever seen them.

“MOVE OVER,” Baekhyun screams - not waiting for Jongdae to do so - and throws himself atop Jongdae’s bed, climbing under the blankets and yanking them up to cover his head. The disappointing size of Jongdae’s mattress means that bulk of Baekhyun’s body lands on Jongdae’s hand and he  _ yells _ , shouting about how if Baekhyun doesn’t move over soon his hand will lose circulation and he’ll die and leave Baekhyun all alone with the rain. The Baekhyun-shaped lump under the blankets scoots over so quickly in response that Jongdae files away the ‘left alone in a thunderstorm’ argument for later exploitation. 

The Baekhyun-lump whimpers for the second time that night, and Jongdae feels a surge of protectiveness well up in his chest. He flops back into the mattress, sighing deeply, and briefly allows a second to mourn the dream cheeseburger that he didn’t even get to eat before he turns to the more pressing matters at hand. 

“It’s just a thunderstorm,” Jongdae says, turning onto his side and reaching over to put an arm around the Baekhyun-lump. He doesn’t,  _ does not, absolutely doesn’t,  _ think about how his body instinctively goes to curl around Baekhyun of it’s own accord.  _ This is just to make Baekhyun feel better,  _ he sternly reminds himself. Even if he’s mildly amused by Baekhyun’s reactions, he much prefers seeing the infamous sunny smile on his roommate’s face, or even the troublesome smirk. Fear doesn’t suit Baekhyun at all.

“It’s the end of the world,” Baekhyun replies. His voice is muffled by the covers, but he sounds a fraction of a bit more like his usual self. “Sounds like the apocalypse is happening outside.”

Jongdae snorts and pulls the blankets away from Baekhyun’s head before Baekhyun suffocates. Baekhyun’s eyes widen in surprise before they narrow and take on a more wary expression - one that’s not because of the weather this time - and Jongdae doesn’t stop to think too hard about why this might be before tugging Baekhyun in closer towards his chest. Baekhyun’s whole body tenses immediately and his hand flies to Jongdae’s arm, the one that’s wrapped around his waist, but he doesn’t otherwise move to stop Jongdae. 

As soon as it’s clear that Jongdae is not about to throw him out of the bed, Baekhyun relaxes, his body going pliant along the curve of Jongdae’s. His hand stays put, fingertips dragging lightly along Jongdae’s skin. “What are you doing?”

“Making you feel better,” Jongdae mumbles into Baekhyun’s hair, letting the strands tickle his nose. “Now go to sleep so I can too. I have class at 9:00 tomorrow, you know.”

“Ah,” Baekhyun swallows. “I didn’t know. I’m really sorry for disturbing you, Jongdae.” Jongdae can’t see Baekhyun’s face in this position but he knows that the apology is genuine because he can hear the remorse bleeding through Baekhyun’s voice.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jongdae says quickly. “I don’t mind.” Before he can talk himself out of it, he plows on. “You’re a good snuggler.”

Baekhyun goes very still for a moment, but then his hand drops to Jongdae’s and he laces their fingers together. 

“Thanks, Jongdae.” Jongdae doesn’t need to ask whether Baekhyun is being grateful for the compliment or for the comfort. He knows that the answer to that question would be  _ both _ , and he’s too tired to stop the side of his mouth that quirks up into a smile.

“Goodnight,” he whispers to Baekhyun. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

A comfortable silence falls over them, and Jongdae stares into the darkness, listening to the rain hitting the windows. He doesn’t close his eyes until after he hears Baekhyun’s breathing go even.

\---

The next morning is so  _ sunny, _ so very sunny and bright outside and it’s such a contrast from the night before that when Jongdae regains full consciousness, he almost thinks he might’ve dreamed the whole incident up - the bed-sharing, the cuddling, the hand-holding - if not for the boy that's curled up snugly into his side.

Jongdae can’t move away without waking Baekhyun - the other boy is still clutching the life out of his hand, after all - so instead of getting up he just lies there, admiring how the sunlight slanting in through the gap where the curtains don’t quite meet hits the highlights in Baekhyun’s hair just right and makes the soft strands look like they’re glowing, spun from golden thread. He can tell the exact moment that Baekhyun wakes because he stops breathing as soon as he fully comes to, and Jongdae knows that Baekhyun is probably biting his lip - a nervous habit of his - and wondering if Jongdae is going to throw him out or make fun of him now that the mood has passed and the circumstances have changed.

“Morning,” says Jongdae lightly, carefully prying his hand out of Baekhyun’s stone-grip and drawing himself up into a sitting position. “Your hair looks like dry straw,” he adds as an afterthought, just to show Baekhyun that nothing has changed since last night and they don’t need to act weird around each other.

“Good morning,” Baekhyun replies back slowly, then rolling over onto his back and glaring at Jongdae. “Yours looks like a bird’s nest.” He looks like he regrets the insult immediately after, and he doesn’t quite manage to hide the panic in his eyes as he looks expectantly up at Jongdae, waiting for the blow. Jongdae resists the urge to smirk, and instead he puts on the most serious expression he can summon.

“Baekhyun,” he leans over his roommate, thoroughly enjoying the alarm that flits over Baekhyun’s face. “Did you know that you snore?” Jongdae asks, delighting in the way that Baekhyun’s mouth falls open in shock and how his honey-colored hair sweeps messily over his forehead and how good he looks wearing Jongdae’s shirt and  _ oh fuck, Baekhyun is so cute in the mornings that’s it he’s fucked  _ and Jongdae kind of wants to wake up to this every single day _. _

His words have the desired effect. Baekhyun stops worrying about the implications in their actions and instead hits Jongdae’s face with a pillow, but not before Jongdae can catch a glimpse of Baekhyun’s cheeks, which are dusted with a lovely shade of pink. “ _ Shut up _ , I don’t.”

Jongdae is laughing, and the force of the pillow knocks him off balance and backwards, but he tugs Baekhyun - who lets out an indignant noise as they fall back on the bed in a heap - with him. Baekhyun pushes his body up into a sitting position, letting his entire weight settle on Jongdae’s middle, and  _ oh yes,  _ Jongdae can definitely get used to this. “If you admit that you do I’ll make blueberry pancakes,” he offers.

Baekhyun pauses, another pillow already in the air, poised for a smackdown. He withdraws his arms, hugging the pillow to his chest (and saving Jongdae from being smothered), clearly weighing whether his pride or appetite is more important to satisfy at the moment. His gaze drifts down to Jongdae’s bare chest and stomach and he colors just slightly - but it’s noticeable enough to someone who’s spent several years living with Baekhyun. Belatedly, Jongdae remembers that he is actually very toned and  _ holy shit, Baekhyun is looking at his abs and blushing. _

Jongdae takes advantage of this and very not-subtly clenches his abs as he sits up, shifting Baekhyun’s weight in his lap. Baekhyun tears his gaze up to meet Jongdae’s eyes when Jongdae leans in, and he looks about two seconds away from fleeing. 

“Choose the pancakes,” Jongdae whispers conspiratorially. “I’m hungry.” Then he smiles, tilting his head. “I’ve become a better cook since that time you came back from class and I’d set the kitchen on fire. I promise.”

Baekhyun actually  _ laughs _ , remembering Jongdae’s look of absolute terror that afternoon, and scoots off of Jongdae and the bed (but not before Jongdae becomes mesmerized with the way that Baekhyun’s eyes crinkle up in happiness). “Fine, I’ll admit it. I snore. Loudly. Does this mean I can shower first?” he calls, already dashing into the bathroom. 

\--- 

True to his word, after they’ve both washed up and dressed, Jongdae does manage to make pancakes that aren’t completely terrible (they’re actually quite good). He thinks he might’ve overdone the vanilla just a bit, but Baekhyun doesn’t seem to notice.

Jongdae glances across the table, watching Baekhyun twirl his fork around his empty plate, looking down with furrowed brows at something on the phone in his hand. “What are you reading?”

“The weather forecast,” Baekhyun replies, then lowers his phone and looks up. “We’re supposed to have storms again tonight. For the rest of the week, actually.” There’s apprehension and unease in his expression, but also a hint of eagerness that Jongdae hopes he isn’t imagining.  

“Are you going to be okay?” Jongdae asks, because the most important thing is still taking care of his roommate, even if he does happen to be a shirt-stealing, heart-stealing criminal. 

Baekhyun bites his bottom lip. “I think I’ll be okay. You’ll be with me, right?”

Jongdae’s eyes soften, because he knows that Baekhyun hates showing vulnerability but trusts him enough to. “Yeah. Of course. I’ll see you when I get back from class?”

Baekhyun nods. “Yeah.”

Before Jongdae leaves for his 9:00 lecture, Baekhyun kisses his cheek. “I’ll be waiting.”

\---

In the evening, after they’ve ordered pizza, Jongdae is lying on the couch with Baekhyun and they’re watching  _ Inception  _ when the first flash of lightning hits and briefly changes the color in the apartment from a warm amber to a pale white glow. Baekhyun’s draped over him, his head pillowed on Jongdae’s chest, and he tenses up instantly but calms down when Jongdae brings a hand up and strokes his hair. 

“Okay?” Jongdae murmurs, carding his fingers through strands of honey-gold. 

Baekhyun takes a deep breath and exhales. He moves his head, chin hitting Jongdae’s sternum, to look him in the eye. He smirks. “With you, I will be.”

Jongdae rolls his eyes at how purposefully cheesy Baekhyun is being, but Baekhyun is smiling sunbeams at him and he smiles too because  _ there’s no helping Baekhyun’s power over him _ . They continue watching Leonardo DiCaprio and his team pulling off the greatest heist in the history of dreamscapes ever - the two of them tangled up in each other’s limbs and not caring one bit about possible repercussions - all the while patiently waiting for the rain.

**Author's Note:**

> *ba dum tss* ;)
> 
> (let's be friends on [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/wistfullywishes)! ♡)


End file.
